By Ari Bloomekatz
Enquirer staff writer

Two public universities are trying to combat campus alcohol problems by having freshmen complete an online alcohol prevention program before they begin their first class.

Miami University in Oxford and Ohio University in Athens have already used the program with a limited number of students, but this is the first time the institutions are targeting all incoming freshmen.

"What we're trying to do is to get everybody on a level playing field. College students come in with varying degrees of knowledge about alcohol," said Leslie Haxby-McNeill, Miami University's substance abuse prevention coordinator.

Haxby-McNeill said there are no formal penalties to Miami's 3,500 entering freshmen if they do not complete the course, but said many students did participate when the university previously tested the program with students.

The stakes are higher at Ohio University. If students do not finish the program midway through their first quarter at school, they are not allowed to register for winter quarter classes.

The online program, called AlcoholEdu, is two to three hours long, but is broken up into 15-minute segments that students are supposed to take over the course of two weeks.

The program runs close to $30,000, but Miami said its costs were covered by grants from the U.S. Department of Education.

AlcoholEdu is special because it gives students individualized feedback, Haxby-McNeill said. Information and advice given to students who say they don't drink will be different from information and advice the program gives to students who say they do, she added.

Brandon Busteed, founder and chief executive of Outside The Classroom, the group that produces AlcoholEdu in Newton, Mass., said information that caters to different individuals is important.

"The course isn't just about facts. It's about taking that and applying it to your individual decision making," Busteed said.

While taking the course, students enter their sex, weight and personal alcohol history so that the program can respond with answers specific to different individuals.

Nearly 300 colleges and universities across the nation have signed on to use the program for part of their student bodies, and 100 institutions are targeting their entire freshman class, Busteed said. The University of Cincinnati is not requiring its freshmen class to use AlcoholEdu.

Dan Hayes, a 21 year-old senior at Miami University, has been an alcohol peer educator for two years. Hayes said the program is a good idea and provides a good foundation for students, but is not sure everyone will participate.

"I have mixed feelings because I know that students might not be eager to go online for two hours and sort of go through these series of tests," Hayes said.

Nonetheless, Hayes said the program has benefits for those who do choose to participate.

"AlcoholEdu has prospects because it sets the record straight," Hayes said. "The idea is empowering, giving students knowledge."

Char Kopchick, director of health education and wellness at Ohio University, echoed Hayes. Kopchick said Ohio University enforces all drinking laws, but agreed that if students are going to drink, it is important they be educated.

"For first-year students, this is the first time a lot of them are going to be on their own making decisions," Kopchick said.

"We want them to be as informed as possible."

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E-mail abloomekatz@enquirer.com